‘AMSH performs first endovascular abdominal repair in Nigeria’

THE Afe Babalola Multisystem Hospital (AMSH), Ado-ekiti, has successfully performed the first Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair (EVAR) in Nigeria.

Director, Corporate Affairs of ABUAD, Mr. Tunde Olofintila, yesterday said the rare interventional procedure was performed by a multi-disciplinary team of experts at the institution led by Dr. Hammed Ninalowo and assisted by Dr. Yemi Johnson and Dr. Dave Dhiren on a patient with abdominal aortic aneurysm.

“An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of vessels in the body due to inherent weakness in the wall. This often results in the bloating of the vessels and subsequent rupture if left untreated and could lead to the death of the person. The aorta is a major blood vessel that takes blood from the heart to all the organs in the body at high velocity.

“A complex procedure, Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (EVAR), is often resorted to in order to fix an aortic aneurysm in the abdomen percutaneously. It is called endovascular because a doctor repairs the aneurysm from the inside of the damaged blood vessel (the aorta) through a minimal access procedure with the inherent advantages of reduced patient’s stay in the hospital, morbidities and other incidental costs.

“During the procedure, the standard practice is for the Interventional Radiologist to engage some special catheters to move a tube called a stent graft through the arteries until it reaches the aorta.

“The graft is then expanded within the aorta at the site of the aneurysm after which the radiologist attaches the graft to the blood vessel. This naturally stabilises the aneurysm and prevents it from rupturing.”

Olofintila said: “EVAR has never been done anywhere in Nigeria or in West Africa.

“It remains undisputable that this is the first time this procedure is being carried out in Nigeria and possibly in West Africa.”